7/27/2019 Borderlands Potato Cannon
1/4
http://www.instructables.com/id/Borderlands-Potato-Cannon/
Food Living Outside Play Technology Workshop
Borderlands Potato-Cannonby aesquivel on August 30, 2011
Table of Contents
Borderlands Potato-Cannon
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Intro: Borderlands Potato-Cannon
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Step 1: Parts
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Step 2: Final product
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7/27/2019 Borderlands Potato Cannon
2/4
http://www.instructables.com/id/Borderlands-Potato-Cannon/
Intro: Borderlands Potato-CannonHere's a potato-cannon that I
recently built as a gift.
It is based on this instructable
(http://www.instructables.com/id/AA-Battery-Powered-Tesla-Coil/) as
I used a bug-zapper racket as the driver for the flyback.
Borderlands is one of my friend's (the gift recipient) favorite
games so we made some stickers to decorate the potato-cannon as one
of the game's weapons (HelixRocket Launcher by Torgue weapons).
I apologize for not going through the step-by-step process of
how the cannon was built (there are plenty of instructables like
that already), my intention is only to showanother option for
decorating it and the setup of the handles and trigger.
Image Notes1. Torgue logo sticker from Borderlands game2.
"Specs" of the weapon, also simulating the weapons of Borderlands3.
Voltage meter (DC), it shows how the capacitors are charging prior
to triggering the spark4. flyback5. Terminator-style handle
Step 1:PartsBasically as in all potato cannons you need to build
a combustion chamber and the cannon itself, I did mine with a 6inch
Schedule 40 PVC for the combustion chambend a 2.5 inch cannon (also
Sch 40).
Therefore you need something like this:- 0.5m (~20") 6" sch 40
PVC pipe (the combustion chamber)
- Two Sch 40 6" couplers (to fit the reducer bushings)- 6" to
2.5" Sch 40 reducer bushing (this goes to the cannon)- Two 2.5" Sch
4090 degree elbows (combustion chamber to the cannon)- 1m (~40")
Sch 40 pipe (the cannon, could use a larger one if you wish)- 6" to
3" Sch 40 reducer bushing (this is where you spray the Aqua Net,
ideally it should be large enough to insert your arm so you can
clean the goo but the larger Ifound was 3")- A small piece of 3"
Sch 40 PVC pipe (to fit the reducer bushing above and the male
adapter below)- 3" male adapter- 3" female cap (these last three
form the cap that you have to screw in order to access the
interior)
For the ignition system you need a flyback and driver as
described in this instructable:
http://www.instructables.com/id/AA-Battery-Powered-Tesla-Coil/
The attached files show thecannon after the PVC was put together
but prior to the painting.The handles are madewith 1" cable duct,
the big one is partially filled with concrete toset a piece of3/8
threaded rod at both ends thatholds to the aluminum frame. Tsmall
handle (the one that holds the trigger beneath isheld witha metal
piece from a chair but can also be held with a piece of
bentthreaded rodset in concrete).
The cable from the triggergoes into a metal electrical conduit,
this is not neccesary but it looks nice.
Theflyback, its driver and the batteries are inside a plastic
ballaster case (shown in the fourth picture).This picture also
shows the DC Voltage meter that indicates hothe internal capacitors
are charging prior to triggering the spark gap (not neccesary but
looks cool). Unfortunately it has a 15k ohm inner resistance so it
only moves tosecond mark (otherwise it wouldn't allow the
capacitors to charge over 1k V).
7/27/2019 Borderlands Potato Cannon
3/4
http://www.instructables.com/id/Borderlands-Potato-Cannon/
Image Notes1. Here's where you access the interior for spraying
the fuel or cleaning the goo.2. 1" cable duct with 3/8 threaded rod
in the ends that attach to an aluminum fram3. The trigger and its
cable still disconnected4. These two legs are made from scrap
aluminum and are attached to thealuminum frame
Image Notes1. This piece of PVC holds the can of Aqua Net
inside2. This little piece of black plastic is for pulling the
batteries out (two AA batteries)3. This is the spark gap that goes
into the flyback's primary coil4. DC Voltage meter that shows how
the internal capacitors are charging.5. A belt from an old laptop
case, for holding the cannon Terminator style
Step 2:Final productHere's the cannon after being painted.
I added several metal band clams around the combustion chamber
for added strenght.
Video here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Borderlands-Potato-Cannon/step2/Final-product/
